A hardware firewall is a network security system that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. A hardware firewall generally creates a barrier between an internal network (assumed to be trusted and secure) and another network (e.g., the Internet) that is assumed not to be trusted and secure.
Attackers breach internal networks to steal critical data. For example, attackers target low-profile assets to enter the internal network. Inside the internal network and behind the hardware firewall, attackers move laterally across the internal network, exploiting East-West traffic flows, to critical enterprise assets. Once there, attackers siphon off valuable company and customer data.